Evaluation of ASTM G65 abrasive —Spanning 13 years of sand

Standardized testing requires consistency of all testing parameters including consumables. One of the more common American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) tests to evaluate abrasive wear resistance is the ASTM G65-04 Standard Test Method for Measuring Abrasion Using the Dry Sand/Rubber Wheel Apparatus. The specified abrasive is nominally 100% silica (SiO2), sieved to 50/70 mesh. To quantify the consistency of the commercially available silica abrasive used in the ASTM G65-04, five lots of the abrasive were compared using five material characterization tests. The five lots of the abrasive, purchased from U.S. Silica Co., were manufactured in March 1997, July 2007, August 2008, June 2009 and October 2009. The five tests used to compare the different lots of abrasive were the ASTM G65-04 wear test, Uncompacted Void Content (ASTM C1252), chemical composition, size (sieved size distribution) and particle shape (visual).